05/30/2026
🏆On this final 30th of our extended 30th year celebration, we are proud to uplift Ben Appelbaum.
From Executive Director Dawn Ewing:
💡”As we come to a close of our celebration of Project Morry’s 30th anniversary, we appropriately end our tribute with the recognition of Ben Appelbaum. Ben was Morry’s Camp’s first President. His drive, passion and tenacity to MAKE MORRY’S DREAM REALITY, generated the power to make it all come together a little over a year after Morry’s passing.
💡Ben and Morry were both legends in the camping industry. Their friendship was important to both and their investment in camp was paramount. The passing of Morry was beyond heartbreaking for Ben.
The following passage appeared in a letter written by Amy Stein, in the 2013 Project Morry Annual Report:
💡’On October 31, 1994, Morry was killed in a plane crash on American Eagle Flight 4184. To assuage his and our grief and because he was a man of action, Ben Appelbaum marshaled our family, friends and professional colleagues together to create a camp that would honor Morry’s enormous legacy in camping and child development.
💡We gathered around the table in my dining room for our planning meetings, to decide what we would do to fulfill Morry’s mission. In 1995, we created Morry’s Camp. The words “no” and “it can’t be done” didn’t exist in Ben’s vocabulary. Powered by idealism and that good old “can-do” spirit, off we charged! In the cold light of day we all know that idealism will only get you so far. As an organization, we hit so many bumps in the road, including the sudden loss of Ben.’
💡Ben passed on July 8, 1996, shortly after the first summer of Morry’s Camp began. And although he never physically experienced the remarkable of Project Morry, his imprint remains in so much of what we are. Ben’s dedication to making his friends' dream a reality; the most beautiful of legacies for them both.”
🎉Celebrate this special person in the comments!
💗Thank you for all you did to make Project Morry possible, Ben. You are a part of the dream.
